It sure feels like Spring to me!

The weather was so gorgeous last Friday that I spent most of the afternoon cleaning up my garden and soaking up the warm air. 

Spring is such a gorgeous time of year, full of new hope, flip flops, spring bulbs and new plans.  I love the return of leaves on the trees, warm earth and new plants. 

First Daffodil of Spring

 

 

 

So many catalogs and magazines have inspired me these past few months, my favorite being "The American Gardener" by the American Horticultural Society.  A recent article was about the new plants for 2014.  It's just amazing what the plant breeders can come up with! 

 

Here are some of my faves that will grow in Central Oregon:

 

 

Echinacea purpurea Supreme 'Cantaloupe by Terra Nova Nurseries

 

 

 

'Rose Bells' Pasqueflower by Jelitto Seed

This is a gorgeous re-blooming Daylily from Walters Garden, 'Midnight Raider'

 

Coreopsis always do well in Central Oregon, and this one has a great yellow and red color,
this is 'Bengal Tiger' from Terra Nova Nurseries

I am planning on growing carrots this year and there is a great new selection from Johhnys Selected Seeds called the 'Adelaide' carrot.  It matures in about 55 days and is a baby carrot at 3-4 inches long at maturity, perfect for my daughter!

Happy Gardening!



 





2010 American Garden Award Winner

One of my favorite magazines is "The American Gardener", the magazine of the American Horticultural Society.  In the November/December issue they had an article about the 2010 American Garden Award Winner. 

The 2010 American Garden Award, now in its second year, featured four new flower varieties chosen by their breeders for their excellent garden performance.  Once these new varieties were planted and put on display by the participating gardens, the public was invited to vote on their favorite.  The winner for 2010 is Rudbeckia Denver Daisy from Brenary of America.

 

 

According the American Garden website: "'Denver Daisy' wowed voters with masses of reddish ringed golden flowers having a delicious looking chocolate brown center. It's a knockout with huge 4-6 inch golden blooms that cover attractive deep green foliage. The long-lasting golden dark eyed blooms proved their ability to stand up under extreme weather conditions. This most popular winner guarantees fantastic summer-long flower power throughout the country in gardens, mixed containers and landscapes. This variety was created and named in honor of Denver's 150th anniversary."

Second place is Echinacea 'Prarie Splendor' from Syngenta Flowers with it's three inch amethyst blooms and long blooming period from early summer to late fall.

Both of these selections will be very well in our climate and will be well appreciated by bees and other insects.

The third place winner, an annual, is the ornamental pepper 'Purple Flash' from PanAmerican Seed.  

This will look fantastic in a container, adding great color and interest, it would also look great surrounding a pot of Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy'.  Now that's a fun combo.

I'm getting excited about spring and the upcoming season, I can't wait to plant these this year!